Milk-bottle cover and cap remover



F. I. LAPOINTE.

MILK BOTTLE COVER AND CAP REMOVER.

APPLICATION FILED mums. 1921.

1,426,396. Patented Aug.- 22, 1922.

FRANCIS J. riaromrn, o

F ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN.

MILK-BOTTLE COVER AND CA1 REMOVER.

Application filed March 2 To all whom it may concern Be it known that I,FRANCIS J. LAPOINTE,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of Ann Arbor, in the county of Washtenaw and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMilk-Bottle Covers and Cap Removers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to closures and cap removers for milk bottles andthe like and has for'its object the provision of a combined cover andcap remover.

The invention consists primarily in a cover having a corrugated aprondepending therefrom and adapted to surround the top of the bottle, saidcover having struck therefrom two prongs bent angularly to said cover sothat in the rotation of the cover relatively to the bottle, the prongswill pierce the paper cap and insure its renioval from the bottle whenthe cover is lifted from the bottle.

The invention further consists in providing means for ejecting the cap.from the prongs when said cap has been removed from the bottle.

The invention further consists in'certain novel features of constructionand arrangement of parts which ,will be understood readily by referenceto the description of the drawings and to the claims to be hereinafter Igiven.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, one preferred formthereof is illustrated in the drawings, this form having been found togive satisfactory and reliable results although it is to be understoodthat the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists canbe variously arranged and organized and the invention is not lim ited tothe precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities asherein shown and described except as required by the scope of theappended claims.

Of the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a plan of. a bottle cover embodying the. principlesof the present invention.

Figure 2 represents a section of same on line 2, 2, on Fig. 1. v

Figure 3 represents an inverted plan of the same, and I Figure 4represents a verticaL section of the same showing a portion of a milkbottle and the prongs of the cover engaging the Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

8, 1921. Serial N0. 456,462.

paper cap thereof preparatory to its removal from the bottle.

Similar characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures ofthe drawings. 1

In the drawings, 10 is a top of a milk bottle of usual constructionhaving a paper cap 11 disposed in the opening thereof.

12 is a cover adapted to be placed upon the top of the bottle and havinga dependingapron 13 adapted to surround the top of a bottle.

This apron 13 is corrugated as indicated in the drawings whereby theoperator is enabled to secure a firm hold on the cover when it isdesired to rotate the same about its center for the purpose of removingthe paper cap from the bottle.

' The cover is provided with a plurality of sharply pointed prongs 14:which are preferably struck from said cover and are bent downwardly atan angle to the under surfacethereof.

These the center of the cover' as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

When the cover is pressed down over the top of the bottle and rotated,the prongs 14 Will pierce the cap 11 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

This 'iercing of the cap having been accomplis ed, the lifting ofthe'cover from the bottle will remove the paper cap 11 there from.

Centrally disposed relatively to said cover 12 is a reciprocating member15 having a head 16 and provided with a disk-like portion 17 between theprongs 14.

The disk-like portion 17 is preferably provided with a. shank 18 havinga reduced end 19 extending into the member 15 and seon, the variousparts of the cover are in the position shown in said Fig. 2.

When a fresh bottle of milk is received. and it is desired to remove thepaper cap therefrom,

the cover 12 is placed upon the upper end ofthe bottle 10 and as soon asthe disk 17 comes into contact with the paper cap 11, the member 15 ismoved upwardly into the position indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

The prongs 1a in the meantime, by the rotation of said cover, havepierced the paper cap in an obvious manner, pressure on the head 16preventing the rotation of the paper disk 11 during the rotation of thecover 12.

As soon as the cover 12 has been lifted from the bottle withthe cap 11on the prongs 14: it is desirable to remove the cap from the coverbefore replacing the cover on the bottle.

This is easily accomplished by depressing the member 15 by applying afinger to the head 16 and pressing downwardly thereon.

This action will force the cap from the prongs and then the cover isagain placed upon the bottle with the plate 21 covering the openings insaid cover.

By provldin a means at the outer edge of the cover W ereby the entirecover is rotated in order to .cause the engagement of the prongs 14:with the paper cap 11 while the rotation of the cap is prevented by thedisk 17 a greater leverage is secured than could be attained by thedevices nowin general use.

In most devices now in use, the engaging prongs are mounted on a centralspindle having a small knurled head by which the prongs are rotated inorder to engage the paper cap.-

Very little leverage is obtained by such a construction and as aconsequence it is sometimes difiicult to cause theuprongs to engage thepaper cap in order that the same may be removed from the bottle.

None of the devices now in use as far as is known, are provided with ameans whereby the paper cap may be ejected from the prongs.

Heretofore it has been necessary to remove the ca from the prongs byhand which is obvlously objectionable.

This makes a very simple construction of cap remover for milk bottleswhich can masses be utilized to cover the bottle after the cap has beenremoved therefrom.

It is believed that the operation and many advantages of the inventionwill be understood without further description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim-- 1. In a device of thecharacter described, a cover; cap-engaging prongs struck therefrom anddisposed at an acute angle relatively to the under surface thereof; aplate normally covering the openings made in said cover by the formationof said prongs; and means at the outer edge of. said cover whereby itmay be rotated about its center.

2. In a device of the character described, a cover; depending prongsstruck therefrom and disposed at an acute angle to the under sidethereof; and means carried by said cover and positioned between saidprongs for ejecting the paper cap from said prongs. v

3. In a device of the character described, a cover rotatable about thetop of a bottle having a paper cap; separated oppositely disposeddepending prongs struck therefrom and disposed at an actue angle to theunder side thereof; and a reciprocating member carried by and centrallydisposed relatively to said cover having a disk the edge of which isnormally adjacentthe inner edges of said prongs and the bottom of whichnormally rests upon the bottle cap, said disk being adapted to eject thepaper cap from said prongs by downward pressure upon said reciprocatingmember.

at. Ina device of the character described, a cover rotatable about thetop of a bottle having a paper cap; cap-engaging prongs on the underface thereof and. angularly disposed relatively thereto; and meanscarried by said cover adapted to be pressed against said cap to preventits rotation durin the rotation of said cover.

igned by me at Ann Arbor, Mich, this 24: day of March, 1921.

FRANCIS J. LAPOTNTE.

Witness:

DAVID A. Dr Lone.

